Staple guide for brush handle

ABSTRACT

A BRUSH INCLUDES A HANDLE HAVING A CIRCLE SOCKET IN ONE END FOR RECEIVING THE BRUSH BRISTLES. A SOLID CYLINDRICAL PORTION INTEGRAL WITH THE HANDLE EXTENDS INTO THE SOCKET, AND THE WALLS OF THE CYLINDER AND THE SOCKET DEFINE A CIRCULAR CHANNEL HAVING A DEPTH EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF THE SOLID CYLINDER. A STAPLE IS INSERTED IN THE SOCKET AND THE BODY OF THE STAPLE CAPTURES THE BRUSH BRISTLES TO THE TOP SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER. THE STAPLE LEGS ARE WEDGED INTO THE CIRCULAR CHANNEL TO SECURE THE STAPLE TO THE HANDLE.

INVENTOR- JOHN G. BAUMGARTNER BY WWI/M ATTORNEYS Uni'ted States Patent Oflice 3,562,835 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 3,562,835 STAPLE GUIDE FOR BRUSH HANDLE John G. Baumgartner, Plano, Ill., assignor to Anchor Brush Company, Montgomery, III., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 2, 1969, Ser. No. 838,554 Int. Cl. A46b 3/16; A46d 3/00 US. Cl. 15-195 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A brush includes a handle having a circular socket in one end for receiving the brush bristles. A solid cylindrical portion integral with the handle extends into the socket, and the walls of the cylinder and the socket define a circular channel having a depth equal to the height of the solid cylinder. A staple is inserted in the socket and the body of the staple captures the brush bristles to the top surface of the cylinder. The staple legs are wedged into the circular channel to secure the staple to the handle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Metal staples are well-known expedients for securing bristles to a brush handle. In some brushes, for example, fingernail polish brushes, the fingernail lacquer attacks the staples causing them to corrode. For this reason, manufacturers of quality fingernail polish require that the staples used to secure the bristles to the brush handle be made of stainless steel. Besides the increased cost for the stainless steel over the normal galvanized steel or tin plated staples, the stainless staples are extremely hard on the staple machines thereby causing increased machine maintenance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a unique means for stapling brush bristles to a handle.

It is another Object of this invention to provide a unique staple for securing brush bristles to a brush handle which reduces the chances of the staples being attacked by the environment in which the brushes are used and which reduces the amount of maintenance required for the staple machines.

In one embodiment of this invention, a brush handle has a bristle receiving socket of circular cross-section in one end thereof. A solid cylinder having a diameter less than the diameter of the socket extends from the handle coaxially into the socket. The cylinder and socket walls define a circular channel having a predetermined width and a depth equal to the height of the cylinder. A staple having legs which are thicker than the width of the circular channel is inserted into the socket and captures the bristles between the staple body and the top surface of the cylinder. The staple legs extend axially of the handle and are wedged into the circular channel to secure the staple to the handle. By fastening the staple to the handle in this manner it is possible to use staples made of nylon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a brush having the bristles thereof connected to the brush handle in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an expanded cross-section view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section View taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a fingernail polish brush 10 which has a plastic handle 11 and bristles 13 that are connected to the handle by a staple 15 (FIG. 2).

The handle 11 has a bristle receiving socket 17 which is circular in cross-section. The socket 17 extends as a hollow cylinder to the bottom 19 thereof. Integrally molded with the handle 11 is a solid cylindrical portion 20 which extends coaxially into the socket 17. The wall 22 of the cylinder 20 and the wall 24 defining the circular socket 17 cooperate to form a circular channel or groove 26, which channel has a depth equal to the height of the cylinder 20.

The use of staples for fastening bristles to a brush handle is described, for instance, in my patent 2,348,515, issued May 9, 1944. By this invention, however, I have eliminated the need for using metal staples. The staple 15 shown in FIG. 2 is made of nylon and is U-shaped having a base portion 28 and two leg portions 30 and 31 that extend therefrom. The leg portions 30 and 31 have a thickness Which is slightly greater than the width of the circular channel 26. For example, in one successful embodiment the channel had a width of .012 and the staple had a thickness of .016.

In operation, the staple 15 is inserted into the socket 17 and captures the brush bristles 35 between the base 28 of the staple and the flat surface 37 of the cylinder 20. The legs 30 and 31 of the staple are wedged into the channel 26 thereby securing the staple 15 to the handle 11. Because the channel 26 is circular it expedites production, for the staple may be inserted into the channel without indexing the brush handle in any particular position. Furthermore, through use of the circular channel the staple legs are not actually embedded into the plastic material of the handle making it possible to use the nylon staple rather than one of metal.

The nylon staple provides many advantages. For instance, the fingernail lacquer will not attack the nylon material, maintenance requirements on the staple machines used for inserting the staples into the brush handle are reduced due to the softness of the nylon and nylon staples are cheaper than metal.

What has been described therefore is a unique and relatively inexpensive staple for connecting bristles to a brush handle that will not be eroded by the environment in which the brush is used and which makes it possible to operate the staple machines with very little maintenance.

Iclaim:

1. In a brush including a handle having a bristle receving socket therein defined by any opening in one end of said handle wall portions and a bottom, the combination including, apparatus for securing the bristles to the handle, said apparatus comprising a staple having a body portion and first and second leg portions extending therefrom, support means integral with said handle and extending into the bristle receiving socket, groove means in the socket having a predetermined width, said first and second leg portions of said staple having a thickness greater than the width of said groove means, and said body portion of said staple securing the bristles in the socket to said support means with said leg portions of said staple being wedged into said groove means thereby securing said staple to the handle.

2. The brush of claim 1 in which the bristle receiving socket has a circular cross-section, and wherein said support means is a solid cylinder integral with the handle and extending coaxially into the socket, and said groove means is formed by the wall of said solid cylinder and the socket wall defining a circular groove having a depth equal to the height of said cylinder, and a width less than the thickness of said leg portions of said staple, so that said staple is secured to the handle by wedging the leg portions thereof in said circular groove.

3. The brush of claim 2 wherein the bristles are captured and held between said body of said stable and the top surface of said cylinder.

4. The brush of claims 1 and 2 wherein said stable is made of nylon and the handle is molded plastic.

5. A brush, including in combination, a handle having a bristle receiving socket therein, said socket having a circular cross-section, a cylindrical solid portion having a diameter less than the diameter of the circular socket extending from said handle coaxially into said socket, said cylindrical solid portion and the circular socket Walls defining a circular channel having a predetermined width, a staple for securing the bristles in said socket, said staple having a body and first and second leg portions extending therefrom, each leg portion having a thickness greater than the width of said circular channel, said staple being inserted in said socket and retaining the bristles therein between said body portion thereof and said cylindrical solid portion, with said first and second leg portions extending axially of said handle and being wedged into said circular channel to secure said staple in position in said handle.

6. The brush of claim 5 wherein said handle is made of molded plastic and said staple is made of nylon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,796,622 6/1957 Kalinowski l5-190X. 3,086,820 4/1963 Baumgartner 3002l 3,430,281 3/1969 Baumgartner 15l95 PETER FELDMAN, Primary Examiner 

